I have been listening to the phone tapping debate with interest , it seems to me that what is happening at the moment is deeper than the illegality of phone tapping , this is about corporate power vs governmental /legal power . What made whoever decided to take this step of invading privacy , do it? I strongly suspect it was because the corporation was seen as being a more immediate and more powerful organisation than either the police or government . A science fiction writer ( I'm sorry I cant remember which one ) Once wrote a story in which the world government was run by corporations and all decisions were made relating to profit and loss , is this what is happening in an embryonic form here ? The other side of this discussion is public interest , Is it in the public interest to reveal through illegal methods that one footballer is knocking off anther's wife, probably not , is it in the public interest to use illegal methods to reveal details of ethnic cleansing , or say government conspiracies , yes it probably is , so we probably should be looking to define what constitutes public interest .Another question arose whilst listening to a wildlife programme this afternoon. I heard a well known naturalist explaining why we should start culling deer .I have noticed one thing in common with conservationists that once a species starts becoming successful , IE adapting well to the environment, they start suggesting we kill a few .Remember Zander in the great Ouse river system , Coypu , pigeons ,starlings , grey squirrels ,all mice except the st kilda field mouse , As humans we seem to have a problem with successful adapters , which of course raises a question about the most successful adapters ; Us. Still I suppose with cuts in welfare and health care services , and stupid wars( that despite the evidence of hundreds of years that they cause more problems than they solve ) we still keep indulging in , we are instituting our own cull programme . The next one will be non voluntary euthanasia for any one with chronic illness or above a certain age: just wait and see !!.On a lighter note I have finished my fence, I am quite proud of it it looks strong and reasonably well made.I think I have gone fence mad because I am now doing another one with the left over wood between two bits of the garden .
My thoughts today turned to Mick Jagger , David Bowie , and Ozzie Osmund , They must be a bit of an embarrassment for the anti drug campaigners . I am not as old as either Bowie or Jagger but I am unable to strut my stuff on stage and I have never indulged in illegal substances They seem fitter than I am , although Ozzie is probably not a good example of cerebral health .
I found some pictures today of the Cambridge Military Hospital My old training hospital , from the outside it dosnt look too bad but internally it is falling apart .It made me quite sad .quite apart from its historical role , for many years it was very important the the people of Hampshire I know the building is still standing because it is a listed building , but if you are not going to preserve it properly why not knock it down and build something useful in its place rather than let it fall down through neglect ?
I saw a snake today, a grass snake in the local park , I was bending down trying to get a shot of a Hover fly on a thistle and the bloody thing almost dropped on my head from a tree stump it has been basking on , needless to say I didn't get a shot. ps the picture is another hoverfly .
